The Mishcon de Reya Group is an international professional services business with law at its heart, employing over 650 lawyers across 5 offices.
Who we are
Mishcon de Reya LLP is based in London, Oxford, Cambridge, Singapore and Hong Kong (through its association with Karas So LLP). The firm services an international community of clients and provides advice in situations where the constraints of geography often do not apply. Its work is cross-border, multi-jurisdictional and complex, spanning six core practice areas: Corporate; Dispute Resolution; Employment; Innovation; Private; and Real Estate.
At Mishcon de Reya our junior lawyers are the future of the firm. We need bold individuals, shapers, who can revolutionize the way we work. We keep the our intake small so that you take on a high level of responsibility from day one: Responsibility to shape your career, shape the future of the firm, and shape the future of law.
Our practice areas range from art to sports to working with emerging companies; a breadth you won't find elsewhere. We act in some of the most-high profile and ground-breaking cases in the industry. The wide range of issues we are involved with means we have a broad client base, giving you the opportunity to work on some of the most complicated, challenging and exciting legal issues.
Our own centre of in-house learning and new thinking, The Academy, creates over 300 new courses each term, to help you upskill and develop your interests. Our Digital Sessions examine some of the biggest issues that face society today through interviews with famous figures in culture, business and politics. The interviews are suggested by and hosted by Mishcon people, with recent guests including Caroline Lucas, Mel B, Rory Stewart and Jodie Foster. So one day you could get to interview your hero.
Our continuous drive to deliver the highest quality legal services has a new ally, technology. By embracing AI, investing in start-ups, developing our incubator programme (MDR Lab) and creating our own range of cutting-edge legal tools, we re-affirm our intention to boldly go where no law firm has gone before. You could end up like one of our trainees, who went from working as a lawyer to starting one of our group companies, tech consultancy MDRx.
Culture and values
Our purpose remains rooted in our founding values. We have always been driven by an entrepreneurial, tenacious and socially conscious spirit: one that has always embraced change in order to stay relevant and shape the future.
Our values make us what we are. They are at the heart of everything we do. We aim to:
- To provide our clients with the highest quality legal services delivering cost effective solutions in an efficient, professional and business like manner.
- To foster a culture which thrives on diversity, respect for the individual and the expression of talent; one that inspires and empowers individuals to fulfil their potential and the potential of the Firm.
- To be open to new ideas, to think creatively, to look for innovative solutions, neither bound by formality nor constrained by convention.
- To act with integrity and frankness in all our dealings both internally and externally, placing the highest value on teamwork and mutual support.
- To build a sustainable, well managed and profitable business, which the Partners hold as trustees for every single member of the Firm.
Our recruitment process
Our recruitment processes open early September for our Vacation Schemes. We host 3 schemes over the year: One in spring and two in summer.
The first stage is the Application stage. This is an opportunity for you to tell us about yourself and what makes you stand out as a candidate. Here you can detail your academic history, any work experience, and answer some questions around your motivations for being a lawyer and why you want to train at Mishcon.
Next is the Video Interview. This is a one-way recorded interview where you will be asked a few short video questions online and will have a fixed amount of time to prepare and record your response.
After is the Assessment day. The assessment day will be comprised of a number of assessments, including a 'Case Study Assessment' and an Interview. A Case study assessment is an individual assessment where candidates are required to read a scenario and present their thoughts and recommendations to an assessor. We are looking to see how candidates are able to assimilate information and demonstrate their commercial awareness. It's important to remember that you're not being assessed on your knowledge of the law, but how to apply business acumen to client needs. Your interview will be with a senior-fee earner at the firm and a member of our People Team. You will be asked a range of strength based and scenario-based questions. This is your final opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of Mishcon de Reya, and how you can add value to the firm.
Finally, the last stage is the Vacation Scheme. As well as being a first-hand insight into Mishcon de Reya, and a chance to expand your knowledge of our firm, our Vacation Scheme is also an opportunity for you to demonstrate your skillset and why you would make a great Trainee Solicitor. You will sit in one of our departments and be assessed on your interactions with firm members, your work, and how you handle real-life cases. You will then sit a final stage assessment of a group exercise at the end of the week.
Equality and diversity
At Mishcon de Reya we have always embraced our role in public life and supported causes and campaigns driven by our people. From Lord Mishcon's role on the Wolfenden Committee in the 1950s which led to the decriminalisation of homosexuality in the UK, to our pro-bono work and partnerships, including working closely with Queen Mary University to run Pink Law and the Black Justice Project, free legal advice clinics for the LGBTQIA+ community and the Black community, respectively.
The Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee is made up of Partners and individuals from across the Firm. Its task is to make sure the Firm continues to be as diverse and inclusive as possible, with the stated aim of removing barriers to this wherever it can. One of its two co-chairs sits on the Board of the Firm with responsibility for ensuring that diversity and inclusion informs the Board's decisions.
We have 5 strands that each over a key focus area that drives our EDI commitment; Race, Gender, LGBTQIA+, Disability, and Social Mobility. Each one of these strands crucial to ensuring we are striving to build and nurture a culture where everyone feels empowered to bring their full authentic self to work, and where difference is valued. Every individual has a right to work in an environment where they feel included and encouraged to reach their full potential regardless of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental ability or background.
We have also released our 2024-2027 EDI strategy. Our business has changed significantly since we wrote our last three-year EDI strategy but our vision remains the same. We the publication of our EDI strategy, we're working with colleagues at all levels of the business to ensure we deliver on our commitment to an inclusive and diverse environment.
Wellbeing
To be our best selves, we need to focus on all aspects of our wellbeing, including, physical, mental, financial, and social. However, we recognise that it can often be challenging to balance work and home commitments, volumes of work, and the demands of our working environment as we strive to provide excellent client service.
At Mishcon, we want to provide an environment that promotes good wellbeing, fosters open and honest conversations and provides support for individuals to enable them to be in charge of their own wellbeing. Ultimately we want to empower all our people to be their best selves, professionally and personally.
We have a dedicated Wellbeing team as a part of our wider People Team who can offer support in a variety of areas such as financial wellbeing, social wellbeing, and physical/mental wellbeing. These three areas form the three pillars of our holistic approach to ensuring everyone at Mishcon is supported.
Personal development
The Mishcon Academy ethos of Explore, Learn, Debate delivers more than training. It promotes engaged exploration of subjects and encourages debate. Most of all, the Academy empowers practical and flexible outcome-focused learning. We offer outstanding legal, leadership and skills development for legal professionals, business leaders and individuals.
The Academy’s trainers are experienced lawyers, learning experts and industry shapers with a deep understanding of their subject matter. They deliver programmes underpinned by research that are engaging, informative and practical, and can provide valuable insights into the latest legal and business developments.
We target our sessions to the audience, translating complex topics into practical learning, depending on need. We also go beyond law into related and complementary areas such as brand management, strategy, purpose, presentation skills, coaching, intrapreneurship, leadership, EDI and harnessing of emerging technologies. In addition, we offer dedicated programmes across a range of sectors. You choose the subjects most useful and relevant to you or your business, and we will then adapt as required.
Sustainability
Responsible Business is our commitment to delivering a material positive impact by conducting our business in a socially, ethically and environmentally responsible way.
Environment is one of the three core pillars of Mishcon de Reya's approach to Responsible Business and encompasses how we manage our operational environmental impacts, our leadership role in the profession in advancing the transition to net zero, and the support we offer to our clients in understanding their environmental risks and opportunities.
Our partnerships with environmental charities, academia and the scientific community to drive meaningful change underscores our firms' deep-rooted commitment to sustainability. Embracing and championing sustainability isn't just a part of our culture—it's ingrained in our core values.